Joan Fernatt

1937 - 2016

Joan Fernatt 1937—2016
Joan Holden Rohrbacher Fernatt of Rockford died peacefully Saturday, February 13, 2016, at Serenity Hospice and Home in Oregon, Illinois. She was 78 years old. Joan was born Joan Frances Leonard on August 17, 1937, to Francis L. "Mickey" and Dorothy (Pape) Leonard in Rockford, Illinois. Joan graduated Rockford East High School in 1955, and Swedish Covenant Nursing School in Chicago in 1958. Joan married Gerald V. Holden in 1958, and raised three daughters, living first in Rockford and then later in Naperville, IL, where they were transferred. Later in life, Joan married Bill Rohrbacher. They were married for 20 years until his death in 2010. She married Roy Fernatt in 2014. Gerald Holden, Bill Rohrbacher and Roy Fernatt all preceded Joan in death. She is survived by her three daughters, Jodi and her husband, Jay Ehlman, Janis Davis and her partner, Tom Pfisterer, and Jill Chunn; eight grandchildren, Billy Chunn, Jenna Pakosta, Terra Potts (Harley), Jenn Ehlman, Sarah Ehlman, Zack Potter, Amanda Daugherty (Josh) and Mitchell Davis; and six great-grandchildren, Marshall and Savannah Potts, Ayden Chunn, and Lilly, Haylee and Chloee Daugherty. She is also survived by her devoted brother and sister-in-law, Dick and Pat Leonard and her stepchildren, Sally Acevedo, Jack Rohrbacher, Cheryl Leggett and Debbie Bock. Joan worked many years as an RN, first in the emergency room at St. Anthony's hospital in Rockford, IL, then in a doctor's office in St.Charles, IL, and then as an industrial nurse at Richards-Wilcox in Aurora, IL. After she retired, she worked at the Heartland Blood Bank in Aurora. She was also involved in the AWANA program at Central Baptist Church in Naperville for many years. Joan had recently moved to the Fairhaven Christian Retirement center in Rockford, IL reconnecting with old friends and making new ones. Everyone at Fairhaven was so kind and welcoming and she was enjoying the new community very much. We would like to thank all the staff and volunteers at Serenity Hospice and Home. Each person we encountered was so caring and compassionate and did everything they could to make a difficult time easier. Joan loved her family very much. She was an avid Cubs fan, enjoyed crocheting and playing card games, especially Skipbo, which she learned from her friends at Fairhaven. She will be greatly missed.
A memorial service will be held at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, February 23rd, at Fairhaven Christian Retirement Center, 3470 N. Alpine Road, Rockford, IL. Memorial donations may be made to Fairhaven Christian Retirement Center, 3470 N. Alpine Rd, Rockford, IL 61114 or Serenity Home and Hospice, 1658 S. IL Route 2, Oregon, IL 61061. Condolences may be sent to www.advantagefunerals.com